NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A 57-year-old Bronx man was indicted on drug trafficking charges after nearly 110 pounds of cocaine, worth $1.25 million, were found in a food truck hauling snacks, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Jose Delacruz was indicted by the Manhattan Supreme Court for second-degree operating as a major trafficker as well as first and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance after the large stash of cocaine was found in Virginia on a truck in a bust last October.
A wiretap investigation revealed that from September 27 to September 30, 2021, Delacruz allegedly spoke in Spanish with Luis Delacruz, a relative, about receiving a bulk shipment of narcotics.
The two used coded language as they allegedly arranged for Luis to pick up 110 pounds of cocaine and transport the narcotics cross-country to the Bronx.
"Let’s see if we can pick up this weekend, and that way I can be over at the warehouse by Tuesday-Wednesday," the defendant allegedly said on Sept. 30 in a call described in court papers.
On Oct. 2, Luis allegedly received a bulk shipment of 110 pounds of cocaine in Houston, Texas.
Four days later, Jose allegedly received multiple calls from Luis. In a call referenced in court papers, Luis allegedly said, "Saturday, be on the alert as to where I can make a stop at one of those locations, and you can go in a cab and pick up the girl."
"Not a problem. Let’s do it that way," Jose said, allegedly recognizing the code word "girl" to mean "cocaine."
On the night of Oct. 6, agents and officers of Strike Force Group Z-21 determined that Luis was traveling through Virginia.
The following morning, at around 3:26 a.m., members of the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office stopped Luis after he exited the cabin of a tractor-trailer at a truck stop in Raphine, Virginia.
Inside the cabin of the tractor-trailer, officers found two duffle bags containing 110 pounds of cocaine. The truck was transporting boxes of food items, including snack chips and dip.
Luis was arrested and faces federal charges in Virginia.
A subsequent raid of Jose's Bronx apartment in early January allegedly recovered about $24,600 in cash, a kilo press used to shape drugs into bricks and a money counter.
A hidden trap compartment underneath the floor of the bathroom was empty, but had a strong odor of cocaine.
Agents and officers arrested Jose on Jan. 11. The judge at arraignment set bail at $300,000 cash or insurance company bail bond and $600,000 partially secured bond.
"The less-than dynamic Delacruz duo allegedly thought that they could evade law enforcement by speaking in code to one another and attempting to conceal 50 kilograms [110 pounds] of cocaine in a truck hauling snacks - but they were wrong," said Homeland Security Investigations, Acting Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel.
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